The Sunflower Masquerade
Act 2: The Masquerade Begins...
Cassilda: Turn the screw. Facts! Why did your voice change?
Stranger: When I arrived I was out of phase. The alignment is now nearly complete and Yhtill exists no more.
Cassilda: Turn the screw. Facts! Where are you from?
Stranger: I have journeyed from Carcosa to Carcosa, pausing only a short time at forgotten Yhtill, until it left me.
Cassilda: Turn the screw. Facts! Who are you?
Introduction:
Act 2 is a variable scenario, it largely depends upon the actions of the Investigators during Act 1. The exact date is variable as well, to accommodate for the fact that Investigators may be in jail or serving out their time in an asylum. Investigators who would be serving long prison terms may find a way to escape or effect early parole to involve them more into the scenario at Keeper option. There are two resolutions to this conflict and thus two separate Plot Paths for the scenario - depending largely if the Investigators managed to destroy or shut down the Sunflower Theater during Act 2.Strange Portents:
Each Investigator who has read even a portion of the play "Le Rideau Final" should begin the session with a strange event. The Stability Test for these events is Difficulty 4. Keepers are welcome to create their own strange portents, the ones listed below are merely for convenience.- Investigators may find themselves writing idly during their daily routine. This writing occurs almost involuntarily and subconsciously, scribbling notes on a pad or while doing other writing. They discover that they are scribbling lines from the Second Act of the dreaded play "Le Rideau Final" and occasionally sketching the symbol of the Yellow Sign.
- A mistaken mail package arrives at the Investigator's residence. The address is one number off from the address of the Investigator, yet arrived at their location. The package contains a replica crown made of cheap copper, it is a movie prop sent from a theatrical company called
- The Investigator learns that a Source of Stability has begun reciting lines for a minor part in a play called "The Last Masquerade," the Investigator recognizes the lines from the dreaded play and may be able to make investigative skill spends to convince the Source of Stability to not act in the play. (If the Investigator already destroyed or shut down the theater, the NPC will already be unable to play this part and may be sad they have lost their shot at the stage).
- An upstairs neighbor of an Investigator's apartment dumps bleach water down a burst pipe, turning their clothes, apartment or other belongings a pale yellow.
- Two Detectives from local authorities burst into their apartment or residence. The Detectives ask endless questions about where they were on the night of December 25th. It is later revealed that they were after a suspect with a similar name that is not the Investigator. The suspect left a strange symbol drawn in blood of a murdered victim. The photograph shows the Yellow Sign painted in blood, the twisted body of the victim forming part of the design.
- The Investigator awakes to the sounds of dogs growling and fighting outside their window. Three alley dogs viciously fight each other to the death outside, all three bite into each others neck and with a whimper die. The three dogs bodies are locked on each other's throat in the last spasms of death, their bodies and legs forming a familiar twisted symbol of the Yellow Sign.
Plot Path 1
This Plot Path occurs if the Investigators either destroyed or shut down the Sunflower Theater during Act 2. If this action did not occur, use Plot Path 2 instead.
Newspaper Headlines the New Year, 1936:
The following are headlines for the New Year addition of 1936, the exact date depends on the Keeper.(* Core Clue Related, ^ Red Herring):
- ^ Republican National Convention headline, this mundane headline is a sign that things are returning to normal and the city of Arkham is no longer concerned with the machinations of the King in Yellow (See Headline Above)
- ^ The Bishop of Arkham, Eleazar Waite, has been caught in a sex scandal. The Bishop was found to be consorting with prostitutes in several hotels of ill-repute in the Massachusetts area. The Vatican has yet to release a formal statement. ^
- ^ A bureaucratic nightmare has resulted in the rotting of 200 tons of grain and Food Aid which was bound for Europe. The food continues to sit in Boston Harbor following concerns over the ship's crew and paperwork, resulting in a loss of food aid. ^
- * Miskatonic University mourns the death of a student of the arts, Irma Porter Long, who was studying theater acting. Her untimely death has currently been ruled a suicide, though the Family of the deceased suspects foul play. Arkham Police are still looking into the matter. *
Avenues of Investigation
It should become obvious to the Investigators that events from Act 1 are not resolved, if the Investigators became aware of the Harwich family, they may seek retribution or further understanding of their involvement.- Investigating the Ruins of the Theater - Investigators may revisit River Street and see the ruins or the remains of the halted construction of the "Sunflower Theater." This scene is designed to improve the Investigators resolve that they can stop the corruption of the play.
- Researching the King in Yellow - Investigators may want to learn more about the King in Yellow, the terrifying doom of the play they have read. [Investigative Skills needed: Anthropology, Library Use, Occult]
- Investigating the Death of Irma Long - Investigators may visit Miskatonic University and discover that some horrors may not be forgotten easily. [Investigative Skills needed: Art, Cop Talk, Oral History, Forensics]
- Linking the Pieces - If the Investigators begin to suspect a connection to the properties being utilized by whatever madman hides behind the scenes, they can begin to examine property records and city planning files [Accounting, Bureaucracy, History, Oral History]
Kidnapping Sources of Stability
[Antagonist Reaction]
This event occurs even if the theater is shut down, an act of revenge by the snubbed Neil Harwich. Each Investigator should learn that at least one Source of Stability has gone missing. In each kidnapping case, the same culprits are used. The two men are low ranking Irish Mafia criminals, hired by the younger Harwich to gain leverage against the Investigators. Each kidnapping scene will leave a clue for an Investigator to discover about the fate of their loved ones, family and friends.
[Oral History or Cop Talk 1-Pt Spend] Asking about descriptions of the kidnappers or suspicious persons seen near the site of the kidnapping of by neighbors or coworkers of the Source of Stability reveals descriptions of the culprits.
[Evidence Collection 1-Pt Spend] One of the culprits accidentally dropped a matchbook, leading to an Irish drinking club called "Two Thumbs," a tavern located on the East end of River Street in Arkham.
[Streetwise 1-Pt Spend] A man wearing a mask was asking around "Two Thumbs," an Irish drinking club for men looking for work for cash. This bar is a known hangout for criminals and rumor has it the man was looking to hire kidnappers.
Plot Path 2
This Plot Path occurs if the Investigators failed to destroy the "Sunflower Theater" during the last Act, instead they discover that it is soon to be opened for its grand opening and first showing after delays in construction. The theater's first show will be "The Last Masquerade," a play that seems to be a rendition of "Le Rideau Final." If the Investigators fail to stop the show, they will find that its first showing will also be the last for Arkham.Newspaper Headlines the New Year, 1936:
The following are headlines for the New Year addition of 1936, the exact date depends on the Keeper.(* Core Clue Related, ^ Red Herring):
- * *
- ^ The Bishop of Arkham, Eleazar Waite, has been caught in a sex scandal. The Bishop was found to be consorting with prostitutes in several hotels of ill-repute in the Massachusetts area. The Vatican has yet to release a formal statement. ^
- ^ A bureaucratic nightmare has resulted in the rotting of 200 tons of grain and Food Aid which was bound for Europe. The food continues to sit in Boston Harbor following concerns over the ship's crew and paperwork, resulting in a loss of food aid. ^
- * Miskatonic University mourns the death of a student of the arts, Irma Porter Long, who was studying theater acting. Her untimely death has currently been ruled a suicide, though the Family of the deceased suspects foul play. Arkham Police are still looking into the matter. *
Avenues of Investigation
It should become obvious to the Investigators that events from Act 1 are not resolved, if the Investigators became aware of the Harwich family, they may seek retribution or further understanding of their involvement.- Investigating the Sunflower Theater - Investigators may revisit River Street and see the now complete version of the Sunflower Theater, soon to be opening its doors [Investigative skills needed: Art, Oral History]
- Researching the King in Yellow - Investigators may want to learn more about the King in Yellow, the terrifying doom of the play they have read. [Investigative Skills needed: Anthropology, Library Use, Occult]
- Investigating the Death of Irma Long - Investigators may visit Miskatonic University and discover that some horrors may not be forgotten easily. [Investigative Skills needed: Art, Cop Talk, Oral History, Forensics]
- Linking the Pieces - If the Investigators begin to suspect a connection to the properties being utilized by whatever madman hides behind the scenes, they can begin to examine property records and city planning files [Investigative Skills needed: Accounting, Bureaucracy, History, Oral History]
Investigating the Sunflower Theater
Attending the Play
The Investigators will either have to sneak into the theater during its opening show [Stealth Difficulty 4] to get past the hired staff and doormen without a yellow ticket. The length of the play is about 2 hours of game time, taking roughly an hour for both Act 1 and Act 2 to be performed. Act 3 of the play is the actual manifestation of Carcosa into Arkham. Getting tickets for the play is not an easy prospect, as it is a sold out show among the dilettantes and wealthy of Massachusetts. There are however, a specific number of balcony seats left (one for each Investigator). Tickets to the balcony seating is not a cheap purchase since they are meant for VIP guests [Credit Rating 2-Pt Spend] allows the Investigators to purchase tickets for themselves and other Investigators.
